A coccyx cyst (epithelial coccygeal duct) is a congenital pathology, most often manifested in humans after 16-28 years of age. The formation of a cyst occurs during intrauterine development due to certain abnormalities. Most often, a coccyx cyst is diagnosed in the male population, but it also occurs in women.
How can you tell if your tailbone is injured?
It would seem that there is nothing wrong if a person lands on his sacrum during a fall. The pain usually goes away after a few minutes; the functions of the musculoskeletal system are not impaired in most cases. However, within a few hours health problems may arise. Signs of a tailbone injury include:
- swelling in the lower back;
- pain while walking or sitting;
- feeling of heaviness and discomfort in the legs.
With a severe bruise of the tailbone, the characteristic symptoms include acute pain that occurs in the lumbar region when there is a load on the spine. There may also be discomfort during defecation and a burning sensation in the anus.
How to treat?
There is usually no specific treatment for a bruise. Victims are advised to sit less, apply cold to the affected part of the body for the first two days after injury, and then dry heat.
The victim should avoid sudden movements, and before sitting down, he should put something soft on him. Lying on your back if your tailbone is bruised is not recommended; it is better to sleep and rest while lying on your stomach.
Article on the topic
Be careful, ice! Safety rules for pedestrians Do not take hot baths during treatment. If the bruise is severe, then it makes sense to purchase a special orthopedic pillow, which is a rubber circle. With such a pillow, the patient’s tailbone does not touch the plane of the chair, which reduces the likelihood of pain.
The main goal during treatment is to relieve pain as much as possible. Folk remedies are well suited for this task. The juice of wormwood, which should be rubbed on the affected area, effectively relieves pain. Onion compresses or bandages with plantain leaves help. When using folk remedies, remember that they can only serve as a good addition to the main treatment prescribed by the doctor.
If a fracture is diagnosed, the victim will have to undergo surgery. The tailbone cannot be straightened and fused - the damaged part is removed, and the operation is very painful. After removal, the victim will face a long period of rehabilitation.
With improper treatment or self-medication, without supervision by a doctor, pain in the tailbone can become chronic, sometimes intensifying, sometimes subsiding. In addition, due to a strong blow to the tailbone, damage to the spinal cord, which attaches to the edge of the tailbone, can occur. This can lead to headaches, unwanted stress on the cervical vertebrae, and inflammatory processes in the internal soft tissues.
How to minimize the consequences of an impact?
The first thing to do when you bruise your tailbone is to minimize the load on the spine. If possible, you need to lie on your stomach and wait until the pain subsides. Then try to get up, listening to your feelings. Severe pain may indicate serious injury that requires immediate medical attention.
What to do if you have a severe bruise on your tailbone, if you can’t see a doctor right away? You need to try to minimize the consequences of the injury on your own. First, you should apply something cold to the bruised area to prevent swelling. Any analgesics, as well as various ointments and gels, can be used as painkillers, but provided that the skin at the site of the bruise is not damaged. First aid largely determines how long a bruised tailbone takes to heal.
Symptoms of a coccyx cyst
A small round formation appears in the gluteal fold, 5-10 cm above the anus. Its size gradually increases, and the patient experiences discomfort. Experienced proctologists at the Yusupov Hospital diagnose a coccyx cyst during the examination process, focusing on patient complaints. To confirm the diagnosis, a number of modern instrumental studies are prescribed.
Most often, a coccyx cyst manifests itself in patients with the following symptoms:
- discomfort appears in the gluteal fold, which intensifies with movement;
- swelling occurs in the sacral area, in some cases it is more widespread, involving the perineum;
- the skin in the area above the coccyx becomes hyperemic;
- the embryonic passage opens;
- purulent discharge appears (with a purulent cyst of the coccyx);
- body temperature rises;
- pain occurs when sitting;
- Around the first move, the opening of other, secondary ones may be observed.
Why do you need to see a doctor right away?
If characteristic symptoms are present several hours after a tailbone injury, the consequences of the injury can be serious. A doctor’s consultation and diagnosis are necessary, because often we are talking about more than just soft tissue damage. Typical pathologies include:
- dislocations and subluxations;
- fractures;
- vertebral displacement;
- sprains, rupture of tissues and ligaments.
Without a medical examination, it is impossible to determine the consequences of the injury. If you don’t know what to do or how to treat a bruised tailbone, the doctors at our clinic will not only provide first aid, but also select the best rehabilitation options.
What is the danger of not paying attention to such a problem as a bruised tailbone? In addition to serious injuries that can be hidden behind a banal fall into ice, dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system is possible, up to the development of paralysis of the lower extremities. Among serious pathologies, experts note problems with childbirth in women, loss of sensitivity in the intimate area due to compression of nerve endings. Over time, fistulas or bone calluses, benign or malignant neoplasms may appear at the site of injury.
WHY DOES COCCYDYNYIA OCCUR?
Main reasons:
- sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work;
- injuries: bruises and fractures;
- inflammation of nerves and muscles in the lumbosacral region;
- a tumor compressing the nerve and blood vessels in the sacral region;
- microtraumas that cause the development of adhesions: strands of connective tissue between organs;
- scars after injuries and operations;
- diseases of the rectum and anus;
- diseases of the genitourinary system;
- problems with bowel movements;
- Coccydynia in women appears after difficult childbirth if the tailbone has been injured;
- Ligament weakness that occurs with age.
The development of coccyx disease is promoted by stress, violation of the rest regime, poor diet, lack of calcium and magnesium.
Diagnostic measures
Only a specialized specialist can determine how to treat a bruise of the coccyx and sacrum. It all depends on the type of injury and the general condition of the patient. At the appointment, an initial examination is performed with palpation of the injured area.
If there is a suspicion of a dislocation or fracture, an x-ray is prescribed.
A myelogram is performed to rule out spinal cord damage.
Densitometry may also be prescribed to determine the degree of fragility of the spine. The procedure is mandatory if there is suspicion of osteoporosis. During the treatment process, computer diagnostics may be prescribed, the purpose of which is to identify possible neoplasms of bone and soft tissue. Diagnostic measures allow not only to identify pathology, but also to decide how to treat the tailbone after a bruise.
First aid
The first thing to do if you have a tailbone injury is to lie down on your stomach so that the blood can drain from the injured part of the body. You should not make sudden movements - they can cause harm. At the first opportunity, you need to examine the site of the injury and check for bruises at the site of the impact.
Article on the topic
First aid for winter injuries For any injury to the tailbone, you need to cool the bruised area as soon as possible with a cold compress - it will reduce blood flow to the bruise and reduce swelling of the clogged area, and relieve the hematoma.
If your tailbone is damaged, you should definitely consult a doctor. Only a doctor can distinguish a severe bruise from a fracture and only based on the results of an x-ray. A coccyx fracture is an extremely rare occurrence, but extremely dangerous. Athletes or people injured in road accidents can break their tailbone. Fans of winter sledding, skating and skiing more often consult a doctor with bruises of varying severity, but this should also be diagnosed by a doctor, at least in order to accurately rule out a fracture.
Treatment protocol
If a person does not know what symptoms occur with a bruised tailbone and does not seek help from a doctor, one of the complications may be an inflammatory process. In this case, non-steroidal drugs are prescribed. They are part of drug therapy, which involves the use of various ointments, gels, and suppositories.
At the initial stage, if only soft tissues are damaged, it is important to relieve acute pain. This largely determines how quickly the tailbone can be healed after a bruise. After this, various options for physical therapy can be prescribed - massage, acupuncture, therapeutic exercises. Often, for those who do not know what to do when their tailbone hurts after a bruise, doctors prescribe kinesiotaping using special therapeutic patches.
If the diagnosis reveals that bone tissue is damaged, the first stage of treatment is aimed at restoring them. In some cases, specialists resort to surgical intervention, but usually recommend that the patient reduce the load on the musculoskeletal system to a minimum and limit physical activity. At the same time, medications are used to reduce pain.
How to treat your back at home if your tailbone hurts after a bruise? Doctors do not recommend resorting to folk remedies, although it is fashionable to use a compress of wormwood infusion to relieve pain symptoms. Iodine mesh also helps relieve pain and inflammation. As an additional remedy, those who are wondering how to quickly cure a bruised tailbone can use celandine juice - it removes hematomas well. But do not forget that folk remedies are auxiliary; they must be used against the background of the main therapeutic measures prescribed by the doctor.
Treatment of coccyx cyst
There are several methods of surgical treatment of such pathology as coccyx cyst. Treatment without surgery is impossible.
During surgery, proctological surgeons at the Yusupov Hospital completely remove the cyst and all canals (passages). It is important to carry out a planned operation - this increases the effectiveness of treatment.
Surgical intervention can be performed in several ways, using different approaches, surgical techniques and cutting instruments. For example, operations can be performed using a conventional scalpel, radio knife or laser. The method of surgical intervention is chosen by the surgeon, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient.
There are several options for performing surgery to remove a coccyx cyst:
- the cyst and tracts are completely excised, the wound is not sutured;
- the cyst and tracts are completely excised, and subsequent suturing of the wound is performed;
- The cyst and tracts are excised, and subsequent skin grafting is performed.
The duration of surgical intervention is, as a rule, from 20 to 60 minutes, which depends on the volume of the operation - on factors such as the length and number of epithelial tracts.
There are a number of contraindications to surgical intervention aimed at removing a coccyx cyst. Such an operation cannot be performed if the patient has the following conditions:
- high body temperature;
- pronounced purulent process;
- severe kidney or liver disease;
- malignant neoplasms.
How long does the treatment last?
It all depends on the type of damage and the measures that were taken at the initial stage. How long does the tailbone last after a bruise? If first aid is provided correctly and on time, the patient consults a specialist within a few hours and receives the necessary instructions, then the pain symptoms may disappear within a week.
If help is not provided on time, the injury becomes old, and problems may arise in a month or a year. In general, it depends on the patient himself how long the tailbone hurts after a bruise and whether the injury will cause serious health problems.